Masonic cornerstone rite held at Mountain Valley Elementary

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August 14, 2013

Mike Gower, a past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas, assures the crowd assembled at Mountain Valley Elementary that the school's cornerstone is level. The new school will open later this month.

More than 50 spectators were on hand Aug. 8 as the Canyon Lake Masonic Lodge No. 1425 held a cornerstone ceremony at Comal ISD's newest campus.

Mountain Valley Elementary, 310 Cannan Road in Canyon Lake, is scheduled to open later this month.

Mountain Valley Elementary principal Kristi Kahil, school staff members and some of the students who will attend the school were present for the ceremony as well as Canyon Lake community members.

The cornerstone, which bears an inscription and the date 2013, will be placed in a prominent location on the outside of the building. The cornerstone includes a time capsule, which will be secured in the foundation behind the stone.

“This is an ancient ritual that dates back hundreds of years,” explained Joe Salas, a member of of the Masonic lodge. “It serves as a way to make sure the foundation of the building is level with the cornerstone.”

The campus, which is located off FM 306 near Sattler, is the third elementary designed to alleviate projected high enrollments at both Comal ISD's Rebecca Creek and Startzville elementary schools. The facility, designed by SHW Group, has “green school” features such as a skylights that provide natural lighting in the library and hallways, rainwater harvesting silos with on-site storage, an energy conservation system that automatically adjusts lighting in the classroom, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.